GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — 911 calls from people inside of the Mall of Georgia from last Friday give insight into the frightening moments a suspect allegedly stabbed a Macy's employee.
Authorities released the calls Thursday of people calling for help during the chaos. One woman told an operator she was hiding in a closet with her mother and a sales associate after seeing people running inside the store. Two other callers described the suspect and the victim who they said was bleeding profusely.
The incident began as a robbery attempt inside Macy's, with Jose Reyes-Serratto damaging the jewelry counter with a "crowbar or similar object," Gwinnett Police said. They believe he was trying to get merchandise. When the employee tried to stop him, Reyes-Serratto took out a knife and allegedly stabbed the employee several times.
As people called 911 for help, others tended to the injured employee. One man gave a play-by-play of what he was seeing.
Caller: There’s an armed robbery taking place right now at Macy
911 Dispatcher: Where at?
Caller: At Macy’s
911 Dispatcher: Which mall?
Caller: Mall of Georgia
The caller gave the operator a description of the suspect's vehicle and told them the suspect's whereabouts.
Caller: Sorry, that scared the [expletive] out of me.
While on the call, he told the operator that he found out someone had been injured. He was able to stay on the phone with the operator as people in the store tended to the injured man, who he said was loosing a lot of blood.
Caller: He’s laying on the ground and they're trying to triage him with paper towels and clothing.
Dispatcher: I need them to press firm steady pressure on both wounds, OK?
The caller said the man was bleeding badly, but he was still conscious.
Dispatcher: Just tell him to keep breathing
The operator explained if blood is still coming through the clothing, more pressure needs to be applied.
Dispatcher: Is the bleeding slowing down at all?
Caller: It does not appear to be, no ma’am.
Dispatcher: More pressure for me. It may hurt him to put pressure but as hard as you can. I need you to apply that pressure because he needs that blood inside of him more than him being as hurt, OK?”
Caller: You got it
In the background, the caller can be heard keeping the victim to stay calm and telling them to breathe. The dispatcher told the operator it appeared the victim is going into shock. The dispatcher gave them instructions to make continue applying pressure on the wound and to make sure he continues to breathe, reassuring those who were helping that if he stopped, she would walk them through CPR.
Minutes later, the police arrived where the injured man is and the paramedics make it to the scene shortly after.
Outside the mall, officers found Reyes-Serratto a distance away from Macy's, near the intersection of Mall of Georgia Boulevard and Financial Center Way.
They said he originally took off in his silver pick-up truck and Gwinnett Police tried to ram into it to stop him. That's when he got out and started running away and a Gwinnett Police officer fired their gun. Police said Reyes-Serratto was shot and collapsed holding a large knife in his hand. He was arrested in a nearby grocery store parking lot along Buford Drive and taken to the hospital.